Holding Out For A Hero
by QuietSleeper
Summary: Ureshi of the Earth Nation has kept her past a secret for a long time. Until she meets Zuko and Iroh and moves in with them, much to Zuko's displeasure. A string of events soon lead Zuko to the crossroads of his destiny and he has to make a choice.
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, I heard that the teahouse down the street has these new employees and one of them is an expert at making tea!!! Wanna go and try?

"Sure! That boss serves horrid tea but if people are saying that it's good, it has to be!!!"

Ureshi turned to stare at the men who walk eagerly towards the direction of the abovementioned teahouse. She looked down and clutched her stomach as it let out a soft but audible growl. Feeling curious, and hungry, she followed the men.

Arriving at the teahouse, Ureshi approached an empty table and settled down, placing her belongings on a chair beside her.

"Good afternoon Miss, what would you like? A grinning, slightly plump and old man appeared beside her.

"A plate of buns please," She replied courteously.

"Would you like some tea with that?" He smiled kindly at her.

"What do you recommend?"

"Well, to me, you look like one who will appreciate green tea. It is calm and soothing yet extremely delightful at the same time," His smile widened.

Ureshi gave a small laugh which rang clearly like a wonderful melody, catching the eyes of many.

"Green tea it is then," She smiled.

After the man left, she took out her purse and peered into it. Realizing that she only has a few copper coins, she started planning about her escape. However, she only had a look of content as she took a small bite of her buns, accompanied with small sips of the tea.

Lady Luck was shining on Ureshi as throngs of people soon started flooding in. She took this opportunity to slip away, but not before placing 4 copper coins on the table, saving a copper coin for herself.

She quietly slipped out by the backdoor while no one was paying attention. As she walked out, she kept looking back to check if anyone had noticed her disappearance. When she felt it was safe, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned around and crashed into one of the workers- a handsome young lad with a scar around his right eye. He scowled at her," You haven't paid for your meal." She held her breath as he cornered her.

"I-I've paid…but I just don't have enough! I'm so sorry!" She held her bundle up to cover her face. He scared her. "

"Zuko, let her go," Ureshi recognized the voice; it belonged to the old man who had served her. "I believe she had no intention of cheating us. Besides, she did pay us 4 copper coins…"

Zuko took a step back, put his hands were placed on either side of Ureshi, preventing her from escaping. Before he could say anything else, she interrupted.

"I'm sorry for not paying the full amount but I can work to pay it off! I know how to cook and I don't mind washing the dishes or mopping the floor!"

"Aah, it would be nice to have an extra pair of hands to help out around here-"

"Uncle!" Zuko harshly cut him off.

His uncle held a hand up, "But it's not up to me to decide if you can work here, you should ask our boss. But I'm sure that he will hire you as it seems that there are more customers nowadays."

Zuko growled menacingly before storming off. Ureshi looked at the waiter and smiled. He replied with a gesture for her to follow him. She nodded and followed behind.

"Good afternoon boss, this lovely young lady here does not have enough money to pay us for her meal so she was wondering if she could work to pay off her bill," The man spoke to the boss who was busy doing his accounts.

The boss sighed, put down his brush and looked up, observing Ureshi from head to toe before looking back at the waiter, "Mushi, if I hire another worker, my profits will be less and so will your pay."

"But there are more customers now, and besides, this lady doesn't mind washing all the dishes. An extra pair of hands never hurt anyone."

"Hmm…" the boss tapped his chin and pondered for a while before speaking, "Fine, she can work here but I want her to serve tea instead. Lee!" The boy glanced up from what he was doing before approaching the counter. "I want you to wash the dishes from now onwards, pass your apron to-" The boss looked at Ureshi.

"Yu. My name's Yu," She replied.

"To Yu please," After finishing his sentence, he went back to the accounts. Zuko, or Lee, glared at her before passing the apron to her as he walked off to the back of the shop, muttering under his breath.

_Oh man…_

"Did I piss him off?" Ureshi asked Mushi worriedly.

"Oh don't worry," He grinned. "He's forever like that."

Another question lingered in her mind throughout the day.

_Why did the boss call him Lee while his uncle called him Zuko? _

She tried to ignore this question, but being a curious cat, it kept coming back to her like a haunting spirit.

Night soon fell and the shop was about to close. Ureshi carried her belongings and stood in front of the shop. Unsure where to go. Where was she going to sleep that night? She only had a copper coin left; no one in their right mind would rent her a room for only _one copper_ coin.

Just then, Mushi and Lee or Zuko, exited the shop.

"Oh hello there Miss Yu, why are you standing here in the middle of nowhere?" Mushi asked her cheerfully.

"Oh, I'm not sure where to stay for the night quite frankly." She replied, glancing at Lee/Zuko only to see him glaring at her. She quickly glanced back at Mushi, slightly frightened by his fierce look.

"Oh well, we stay at this inn with these really spacious rooms and the rent is really cheap!" He exclaimed.

"Well, I don't have enough cash on me as you can see from what happened today…"She trailed off only to be cut off by Mushi.

"Well then, would you mind sharing a room with me and my nephew?"

"Err…" She glanced at Lee/Zuko who was practically boring his eyes into her. "I wouldn't want to impose," She laughed nervously, her palms started to produce more perspiration as she gripped on to her belongings tighter.

"Oh don't worry, I'm an old man and I ensure you, I won't let my nephew do anything improper to you," He winked. "Uncle!" He roared.

_I fear wors_e.

"Erm…I really couldn't," She continued.

"Oh I insist! I guarantee you that you'll come to no harm. Zuko?" He looked at Lee/Zuko questioningly.

He said it again- 'Zuko'. Now Ureshi was getting confused about his name but in her moment of confusion, she was thrown back to reality by the shocking reply of Lee's/Zuko's "Fine," Before he walked away.

Mushi smiled as he followed behind, leaving Ureshi to stand stunned for a moment before catching up with them.

Those two were an odd pair she was getting involved with.


	2. Chapter 2

Ureshi sat quietly and watched Mushi bustle around.

First, he sat Ureshi down at the table and brewed some tea for her. Then, he threw his nephew out of his room along with a sleeping mat before doing something inside his room. A soft but audible crash was head. The door slid open slowly to reveal Mushi with a sheepish grin on his face. "Don't worry, nothing happened." Then the door slid close again.

Ureshi looked at the boy who was busy laying out his sleeping mat. She cleared her throat and gave a small smile when he turned to look at her. However, her face fell when he returned to what he was doing.

"So, what's your name?" Ureshi began. "The boss called you Lee but I heard your uncle call you Zu-"

"My name is Lee. Just that," He cut her short.

"Oh and sometimes we call him junior cause he shares the same name as his father," Mushi interrupted, appearing all of a sudden. "Lee, you can sleep in my room and Miss Yu, your room is ready."

"Oh thank you, I feel so bad for imposing. And you can just call me Yu," She bowed slightly. "It's my honor to help," Mushi bowed back. "Have a good night."

"Thank you. You too," Ureshi said as she slid the door shut. She flopped onto the bed and breathed a sigh of relief. She then sat up again and touched the lovely orange flowers on the bedside table. She felt bad for hiding her real identity from such kind souls but what could _she _do? She was in a very dangerous position. If the Dai Li agents knew about her whereabouts, not only would she be in big trouble, so would the city of Ba Sing Se, and she couldn't let that happen, could she?

She walked over to the window and gazed at the starry night sky and began to hum a lullaby her mother had taught her.

-

Zuko sat on his sleeping mattress and wondered if Yu suspected them of being from the Fire Nation. They had to be more wary around her. She seemed to be hiding a few secrets from them as well but what? His thoughts were interrupted when Iroh entered the room noisily.

"Ah, Zuko, our new guest seems to like her new room," Iroh said merrily.

"Uncle, you'll have to stop calling me Zuko from now onwards. She nearly exposed our identities," Zuko reminded him.

"Of course, Junior," Iroh chuckled as Zuko frowned. "Oh, I'm going out for a walk so be careful of strangers," Iroh said abruptly. "You're going for a walk? In the middle of the night and in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se furthermore?" Zuko exclaimed.

"Oh don't worry, I'll be back in a short while. And besides, I'm the Dragon of the West. Nothing bad can happen to me." With that, Iroh left the room.

Shaking his head, Zuko walked over to the window. The starry night u was /u such a sight to behold. And the dark clouds that were hiding the full moon soon vaporized. He closed his eyes and a lovely melody soon reached his ears. It was a truly beautiful night.

-

Sokka gazed at the full moon lovingly and the image of Suki came to mind. He turned away, ashamed to look at the moon anymore. "Sokka," Katara placed a hand on her brother's shoulders. "We will be going to the supermarket, wanna come along? You can choose what you want to eat. "

"I'm sure he would go crazy," Toph commented, cracking a walnut. Sokka gave her a glare before realizing that she couldn't see him. He gave an irritated huff and turned to Katara, "Yeah sure. **BUT** don't take too long doing your girly shopping."

"Excuse me? Who was the one who took a long time to choose if he should buy a bag back where we met Toph?" Katara retorted while Aang tried to stifle a laughter.

"Hey, that was different!" Sokka defended. "Oh, how different?" Katara looked at him. "It…I…I'm going to sleep!" He stood up and stormed off, muttering angrily.

"We should all go to sleep actually. Good night Aang, good night Toph," Katara yawned as she walked back to her room.

Toph just waved her off while Aang replied with a half-hearted "'Night."

"And after that we are going to look for Appa right?" He asked before Katara closed the door. "Of course, Aang. I know you miss him badly. We all do," Katara replied quietly before closing the door.

_We all do._

-

Iroh walked quickly to the main square and examined the notice board. He scanned through all until he came to the one he was looking for: "Daughter of a high ranking family missing. If you know of her whereabouts, contact Long Feng- the head of the Dai Li agents. Reward: A chest of gold." He quickly tore it down and after ensuring that there was no one around, and burned it. The paper was soon engulfed in flames and only ashes remained on the ground. Iroh smiled to himself before slipping away into the silent night.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Please go to for more recent updates. 


	3. Chapter 3

Ureshi strolled down the dirty roads of the market. The boss had ordered her to buy some foodstuff and so she did. She paused for a moment, trying to recall the last item she needed to buy.

_Oh yes!_

She started to walk towards the fruit stall but was nearly knocked over by a running passer-by. The person ran past her without even uttering an apology. And when she caught her balance, she realized that her money pouch was gone.

"Stop! Thief!!! Someone help!" She gave a helpless cry as she started chasing after the thief. But with her heavy basket and her long dress, she ran no longer than 50 steps before she stopped to catch her breath. She looked up just in time to see the thief get knocked down and her purse picked up from where it had fell. The thief quickly scrambled off without glancing back.

The helpful stranger walked over to her, "Is this yours?" He held up her purse. He was handsome. Very handsome. She stood dumbfounded, staring into his green eyes which shone in the sunrays.

"Y-yes. Thank you," She reached out for her purse and their hands brushed against each other for a short moment. She blushed and looked down, hoping that he had not seen her blushing.

"He gave a small chuckle and replied, "Welcome. I'll see you around." And with that, he walked away.

_Oh my…_

As she walked back to the teahouse, she mulled about what had happened and she felt her heart flutter as she thought about the handsome stranger.

"Oh there you are Yu. I was starting to worry about you," The boss said as he took the basket from her hand. "Where are the fruits?" He asked.

"Oh…I was robbed before I bought the fruits and-"

"Where's the money?" The boss asked, looking shocked.

"It's right here," Ureshi took the purse out and gave it to the boss. She was slightly annoyed at the fact that the boss had cared more about his money than his employee. "A stranger helped me retrieve it."

He gave out a relieved sighed and handed her the purse back, "Please go out and get the fruits, I need it urgently."

She nodded and walked out of the teahouse.

"Wait!" The boss called out suddenly. "Lee!" The boy entered the teahouse from the back.

"I need you to accompany Yu here. She was nearly robbed just now and I wish that it would not happen again."

Lee sulked as he took of his apron and walked towards Yu. He just walked in front of her, not even casting a glance at her.

They stopped in front of the fruit stall and Zuko just stood beside Ureshi, arms crossed as she chose the fruits.

"Which one do you think is better?" She asked, holding up two peaches. He stared at her. She understood his expression and returned to staring at the two peaches in her hands, trying to determine which of the two were better. Zuko looked at her frowning in concentration and without a word, he took the peach in her right hand from her and said to the stall keeper, "We'll take all these," referring to the other fruits Ureshi had chosen.

Ureshi just stared blankly at Zuko as he paid the stall keeper and walked away with the basket of fruits. He stopped after realizing she wasn't following him. He turned around and scowled at the slightly appalled Ureshi.

"Are you coming?" With that, she snapped out of her daze and jerked her head towards his voice. She nodded quickly, pulled her skirt up a bit and scurried over to his side.

He handed her the basket and she took it obligingly. As the sun set, their shadows elongated as they walked side by side, quietly back to the teahouse.

-

"Hmmm….should I get this belt or **this** belt?" Sokka asked, holding up two similar looking belts.

"Sokka, they all look the same," Katara replied, irritated at her brother.

"No, this belt has a _square_ buckle and **this** belt has an _oval_ buckle."

"I think the second belt is _soooo_ much prettier!" Toph interrupted.

"Hmm…I think so too-" He stared at Toph. "You're evil for your age, you know?"

"Aang, what do you think?" Sokka asked the honest monk.

"Huh?" Aang turned around, just barely missing a couple- one girl and a boy with a scar walk past.

"Erm, I don't know," Aang shrugged. "The one with the square buckle?"

He inspected it before giving a big grin and a thumb up to Aang.

"You're right! This looks _soooo_ much nicer!" Sokka held it up proudly after he paid the stall keeper.

"Yeah that's great Sokka. Now let's go home. The sun is setting," Katara walked away.

The others followed behind Katara, leaving Sokka to stuff his new belt into his bag and running back to them.

"So what do you want to eat for dinner?"

"Meat!"

"I wasn't talking to you! And Aang's a vegetarian!"

"So? We can have more than one dish!"

"We aren't that rich!"

"Calm down guys! It's just dinner!"

The two teenagers walked home, mostly arguing along the way whilst being insulted by one young Earthbender and a young monk trying to calm them down.

* * *

**Gah! I'm so sorry that I took so long to update! This chapter was actually done for quite some time but I just hated the ending...but no worries, chapter 4 will be up soon! Hopefully by tonight or tomorrow! Thanks for reading! **


	4. Chapter 4

"Uncle, we have a problem," Zuko whispered to Iroh as he descended from the ladder. "One of the customers is on to us. Don't look now, but there is a girl over there at the corner table. She knows we are Fire Nation."

Just as Zuko said the last part, Iroh turned to look at the girl but was forced by Zuko to turn back.

"You're right Zuko. I've seen that girl in here quite a lot. Seems to me she has a little crush on you." Iroh grinned at him.

"What?!" Zuko exclaimed in disbelief. He reeled back in shocked and bumped into Ureshi. Ureshi crashed down onto the floor, the teapot and cups smashed onto the ground and tea spilled all over her. She let out a small, "Ow!" and undid the ribbon holding her hair in place, seeing that her hair was already messy caused by the fall.

As Zuko helped her up, he couldn't help to notice the way her long wavy brown hair cascaded down her back made her look really beautiful. Her hand was soft with no calluses whatsoever.

"Thank you," Her hand slipped out of his hand and he slipped out of his thoughts.

"You're welcome," He replied.

"What happened? Why do you look so shocked?" She asked inquisitively.

Another voice interrupted their conversation, "Thank you for the tea." The girl handed Zuko a few coins who turned away soon after. "What is your name?"

Zuko turned back to look at her, "My name's Lee." He hesitated before continuing, "My uncle and I just moved here."

"Hi Lee, my name is Jin. Thank you and, well, I was wondering if you would like to go out some time?" Jin asked bashfully.

"He'd love to!" Iroh answered for him.

"Great! I will meet you in front of the shop at sun down," She replied eagerly and left.

Iroh threw an arm around his bewildered nephew as Ureshi giggled.

Zuko threw her a look to which she replied, "I'm going to get changed."

Several minutes later, Ureshi came out in a fresh set of clothes, her hair done in a different style- The top part of her hair tied in a neat bun and the lower part of her hair loose with a few braids randomly tied.

Zuko stared at her, oblivious to his action until Ureshi asked, "What? Do I look bad?" She touched her hair. "I know it looks weird but I thought it looked quite nice on me…"

"No, you look fine," Zuko said quickly before returning to his work.

The jingle of bells reminded Ureshi of her duty and she quickly smoothed her skirt before approaching the patron.

"What would you like to order?" She said, busy drying her tray.

"Hi, we meet again," The vaguely familiar voice hit her.

_The warmth and friendliness of the voice…_

"Hi," She smiled and looked up, her eyes meeting his green alluring eyes.

"What would you like?" She repeated, only her voice was softer and gentler than before.

"A cup of Jasmine tea please," He replied with much courtesy.

She nodded and blushed. Hearing his voice made her blush like a beetroot. In fact, everything about him made her want to blush.

"_Oh when winter turns to spring,  
And when all the flowers bloom  
and all the birds they sing,  
All my love for you  
Will come soaring through the skies  
Cause only you, only you  
Can make my spirits rise_," Iroh sang as Ureshi approached the counter, face flushed.

"What was that all about?" Ureshi asked him, an eyebrow raised.

"Don't you think that love is in the air?" Iroh teased, glancing in the direction of the stranger.

Ureshi blushed once again and quickly said, "A cup of Jasmine tea please."

"A pot would be better," Iroh replied, winking at her as he set the pot and a cup on the tray.

Ureshi wrinkled her nose at him before picking up a tray.

"Your tea, Sir," Ureshi set the tray down quietly. All the patron did was nod his head and Ureshi felt a sinking feeling in her heart. As she turned to go, she heard him call out, "Would you like to go out with me? There is a small festival at the Northern gate tonight"

A smile burst onto her face. "Sure," She said, turning to look at him, using all her might to contain her excitement. "Oh, and the pot of tea is on the house," She quickly added.

"Oh, thank you. And by the way, I don't think I've caught your name…" His voice trailed off, expecting a reply.

"I'm Yu."

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Yu. I'm Shen," He replied.

"Pleased to meet you too," Ureshi continued. "I need to get back to my work now."

He gave her a smile before she returned to the counter.

-

Iroh gave a loud sigh and Zuko looked at him, irritated.

"Uncle, could you please hurry and finish doing my hair instead of sighing so much?"

"I can't help it Junior, it's just that," Iroh paused and gave a sniffle. "You've grown up and have your own life…and soon you'll get married and have kids and I'll be all alone, old and sad…"

"It's ok, you can stay with me if Lee does get married," Ureshi emerged from her room and place a hand on Iroh's shoulder.

"Hey! I've never said that I wouldn't care about Uncle!" Zuko jumped up from his seat.

"And I've never said you wouldn't, I just merely suggested that Mushi can move in with me after you get married," Ureshi replied.

"And I'm not getting married!" Zuko grunted, as Iroh forced him to sit down again.

"You're not going to marry Jin? But you like her!" Iroh protested.

"No I don't! I don't even know her!" He crossed his arms and gave another grunt.

"So? Yu doesn't know the guy she's going with yet she's practically head over heels for him! Do you suppose he's a thief?" Iroh paused to ponder.

"No I'm not!" Ureshi said immediately. "And his name is Shen and he's," A knock interrupted her. "Here!" She stood up quickly, checked that her hair was in place and smoothed her dress down. Her dress was in various shades of green with light yellow trim and her hair was in the same style as earlier but with an exquisite hairpin adorned on her hair.

"Hey," Zuko said abruptly. "I thought you were penniless when we met and you haven't even got your pay, so where did you get that hairpin?!"

"I gave it to her. A girl needs to look nice and presentable, and so does a young man like you so stop fidgeting and let me finish your hair!" Iroh pressed him down.

Ureshi laughed and wave a quick goodbye before leaving the house.

"Hey," Shen greeted her.

"Hey," Ureshi replied and smiled.

* * *

I'm sorry I took so long to come up with this even though I promised! x/ But now it's up so there you have it! Hope you'll like! 

Reviews would be nice by the way :)


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